


Settle Down

by megaotaku98



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Chan sucks at hiding things, Established Relationship, Lack of Communication, M/M, Mentions Of Infidelity, MinChan rise bitch, Minho jumps to conclusions and gets in his head, Minho thinks Chan is cheating, Non Idol AU, angst with happy ending, but is he????, but it ends happy i promise, rated for language and references to sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-08 13:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18624094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megaotaku98/pseuds/megaotaku98
Summary: Star so light and star so bright,Keep him by my side.-Settle Down, Kimbra (2010)





	Settle Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello my lovely readers!  
> As you can see, this is another songfic! I was listening to the song back in March and then my au gears got turning~  
> You can find the song here, I recommend listening to it as you read!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHV04eSGzAA
> 
> Shoutout to iridescentmusings for helping me with the initial planning of this story! Love you no homo x  
> Hope you enjoy UwU

Chan was acting strange. Acting suspicious.

 

It wasn’t unusual for him to work late. But every night for two weeks in a row? It was odd.

Minho never had any reason to doubt his boyfriend’s loyalty. Or…..so he thought? Chan was hiding something, and the thought of what it could be baffled Minho entirely. The more he thought about it, the more he began to overthink it, and the darker possibilities made his stomach churn.

Chan wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He would never.

…...would he?

 

Minho’s worst fears started to take form when he was walking back to the subway station from the pet store, nearly dropping the heavy bag of cat litter when he saw none other than his _boyfriend_ sitting in a café.  Sitting in a café, talking animatedly to BamBam.

That alone wasn’t suspicious, Minho wasn’t jealous of Chan’s friends or anything.

But Chan had said he was working late again. Why was he laughing at something BamBam said in a café? Why was Chan twiddling his thumbs and playing with his fingers, something he did when he was nervous or bashful?

Minho decided to shake it off. Chan being nervous around one of his friends wasn’t a cause for suspicion, he didn’t want to be _that_ kind of boyfriend. And- and maybe Chan was taking a dinner break. He liked going out for his lunch breaks, so with the overtime he was probably on break for dinner; then chose to meet up with BamBam to hang out for a bit.

When Chan got home that night, Minho gave him an extra long greeting kiss, and told him how much he loved him. For a moment, the negative thoughts went away as Chan reciprocated in full.

 

Then the suspicions returned, and solidified, as Chan started getting more phone calls- and going into a different room to answer them.

Sure, he did that if they were in public or when friends over, but when it was just the two of them? Chan never cared if Minho heard. So why did he care now? What was _so important_ or _so confidential_ (in the music production industry??) that Chan had to go into the spare bedroom and close the door?

One evening, Minho got curious and tried to listen through the door to find out what Chan was saying.

It was faint and hard to decipher, but he was able to hear Chan’s voice speaking.

“...yeah, that sounds good, that’ll be perfect…..looking forward to it!.....try and keep this hush hush, would you? I don’t want him to find out…...awesome, can’t wait!.....I’ll talk to you tomorrow…..alright, goodbye!”

Minho barely had time to race away from the door before Chan opened it and walked back out of the room. He launched himself into the bathroom and threw the door closed, before leaning back against it, heart pounding and he processed what he had overheard.

Oh god.

Was Chan  _cheating_ on him?

Over the next several days, Minho’s head was plagued with all sorts of questions, of why’s and how’s and what’s and what to dos.

Why would Chan be unfaithful?

What could have possibly gone wrong in their relationship?

What was Minho supposed to do if Chan left him for someone else?

After seven years of being together, after creating a life together, living together, adopting cats together- how would Minho ever be able to move on if it all went up in flames?

How could Minho save their love?

 

Did he still have a chance? Or was he too late?

 

Even if he was too late, Minho was not about to give up. No matter what it took- he would fight. Fight for _them._

He started small- rather than nag Chan to put his clothes away, Minho just did it for him. He took over washing dishes and doing laundry and other chores that normally they took turns doing. Spent more time cooking dinner each night and leaving a plate of leftovers for Chan to have when he got home, rather than give in to laziness and just order takeout. He started preparing lunches for Chan to take with him to work the next day, so he didn’t have to go out and buy something.

Minho acted more affectionate than usual, giving Chan more kisses, more hugs, more cuddles.

He bought little gifts, small things Chan had mentioned wanting in the past. He bought flowers and put them in vases, with little cards on them that had little messages saying “thinking of you” or “you make me smile”, etc.

He offered sex more often- although, that was also partially from his own primal neediness; Chan coming home late every night meant that either Minho was already asleep or they were both too tired to be intimate.

But, Chan had started to act somewhat distant, distracted.  He was always on his phone, or his laptop, looking at some kind of screen and certainly _not_ looking at his boyfriend. Even when he wasn’t looking at a screen, his mind was always occupied by something; he didn’t notice the notes, he brushed aside the kisses, he wasn’t in the mood for cuddles. Suddenly, there wasn’t even the excuse of being too tired, instead, it was “sorry kitten, not tonight, I still have some work to do.”

How could Chan possibly have had _more_ work to do if he was already staying late every single fucking day?

On one evening, Minho tried to _extra_ hard to get Chan to “come to bed darling, your baby needs you.” Again, he was brushed aside with a “sorry, I really need to get this piece done. Deadline’s coming up.”

Feeling frustrated and more than a little fed up, Minho let out an angry huff, spat out a “ _fine._ ”, and stormed out of the apartment complex to get some air.

He didn’t want to get angry, but after being turned down again and again- what, was Chan dating his job or something? What on earth could be more fucking important that he couldn’t pull away for even thirty fucking minutes???

But then the anger melted, and shifted to sadness.

Was Chan doing all this work at home because he _wasn’t_ working at the studio? Could he really be seeing someone else in secret? Was Minho just not good enough?

He looked up at the evening sky- it was dusk, and there was a single star twinkling down at him.

Remembering an age-old nursery rhyme, Minho focused on that star, and made a wish.

 _Keep him by my side_.

 

Minho was not about to give up, oh no. He was stubborn, almost to a fault. And if there was one thing he refused to let go of, it was Chan.

 

It was a well-known fact (to Minho at least) that Chan loved romantic surprises.

So, Minho pulled out  _all_ the stops. A homecooked meal of slow-roasted lamb, mashed potatoes, a nice bottle of wine. The table was set with their nicest tablecloth and nicest centerpiece and candles. Fresh roses all around the apartment and rose petals leading to the bedroom. Minho wore a loose-fitting dress shirt, tight pants that accentuated his ass, and that lacy “red-thing” that Chan had drooled over on numerous occasions.

When everything was ready, Minho called up Chan, and when the other answered he said in his most flirtatious tone, “there’s a surprise waiting for you at home~”

 _“Is there? Shit, I didn’t forget our anniversary did I? I thought it was in June…”_ Chan replied.

Minho chuckled, “No, no, this was completely unprompted. Just wanted to do something nice.”

_“That’s really sweet of you, love. But-”_

But?? Oh no.

“But what?” Minho asked, smile slipping off his face.

_“It’s gonna be another late night for me. I’m so so sorry Min, I know I never turn down your surprises. I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”_

“Oh,” Minho said, voice shaky as his eyes started to well up with tears, “right. Of course. Um, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. Work hard baby, I-I love you so much.”

Before Chan could say anything more, Minho ended the call.

He was oddly calm, despite the tears spilling down his face. He blew out the candles and just shuffled to bed. Once he was laying down on the mattress, he began to sob.

It was too late. He had lost Chan.

Minho cried himself to sleep that night, drifting off into a depressed dreamland long before Chan came home.

 

Any normal person faced with infidelity would confront the unfaithful, dump them, and move on with life.

Minho had given that advice himself on numerous occasions, and it would make sense to follow it. At least try and get some answers, demand that Chan explain himself.

But…..Chan was Minho’s whole _world_. He had never loved anyone the way he loved Chan. None of his previous relationships ha the same kind of spark or level of comfort that Minho had found with the curly-haired dimpled man that was Bang Chan.

Minho got so worried and in his own head about Chan not wanting him anymore, about how he legitimately couldn’t imagine life without Chan, that the possibility of talking it out didn’t even come to mind.

 

But even if it meant turning a blind eye while Chan snuck off with someone else, Minho would do anything to keep Chan in his life. He was going to dig his heels into the ground and not let go no matter what.

 

A week later, Chan took Minho somewhere.

“It’s a secret,” he said, when Minho asked where they were going as he got into the car.

Chan drove them across the city, through downtown Seoul, to an area Minho had never been before. When the car was parked and they stepped out of it, Minho’s vision was suddenly blocked out. Chan had put a blindfold over his eyes.

“Wha- what’s happening Chan, what’s going on?” Minho asked.

“Just trust me, okay? Now, I’m gonna guide you up these stairs- wait, actually, that’s a terrible idea. I’m just going to carry you,” Chan’s voice said from somewhere right behind him (he didn’t know where, he couldn’t fucking see).

Minho felt himself get swept up off the ground into a bridal carry, and then heard the sound of Chan opening a door, and then walking up a staircase.

“Um, are we going somewhere really high?” he asked, feeling worried.

“Oh no, not at all baby, it’s just a couple floors. I’d never take you out of your comfort zone,” Chan replied.

Chan was being a total sweetheart. It was a bit confusing, with how aloof he had been that past few weeks.

When Chan reached the top of the stairs (or so Minho guessed), he set Minho down and took off the blindfold.

Minho blinked a few times to let his eyes readjust to the light, and looked around.

They were on a small rooftop, there were fairy lights and lanterns strung up all around the edge, and a single table sitting int he middle, set for two people. The location of the roof gave them a picturesque view of the sun starting to set against the cityscape.

Minho was very baffled, why all this setup?

Was Chan trying to make up for missing Minho’s surprise from before?

Or…

Or was he buttering Minho up so he could deliver a break up with a soft blow? Reveal that he’d been having an affair and that he didn’t want to see Minho anymore? One last huzzah before the heartbreak?

 

Minho fell so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Chan clear his throat to try and get his attention.

Finally, Chan loudly said “Minho!”, and Minho finally turned around to look at Chan.

 

Chan- who was down on one knee, holding out a small velvet box with a ring sitting inside.

Holy shit.

Holy shit, holy _shit_ , Chan was _proposing_.

 

Minho, in a picture of elegance and calm, burst into tears and started to sob loudly.

Chan, likely not expecting such a reaction, quickly stood back up and pulled Minho into a hug, saying, “oh dear, oh no, don’t cry I’m sorry! Was it too soon? I didn’t mean to freak you out, I just-”

“You dumbass!” Minho interrupted, starting to hiccup, “I thought you were _cheating_ on me, I thought I was about to get dumped!”

“You- you thought- oh baby _no_ , no I would _never_ , I love you so so so much!”

Minho just cried even harder, now feeling like a complete idiot, feeling angry at himself and just overwhelmed by everything at that moment. Chan continued to hold him tightly, rubbing his back gently to help calm him down.

Once the sobs had subsided to shuddery breaths and hiccups and sniffles, Chan said quietly, “um, I never actually got to pop the question...”

“ _Yes_ , you stupid asshole, put the damn ring on my finger,” Minho answered, pulling away to wipe the tears from his face and hold his left hand out.

As Chan took the ring out and slipped it on (it was a gorgeous piece with a fire opal as the center jewel and diamonds sitting around it), Minho noticed that he had tears in his eyes as well.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, reaching forward to brush away a tear that was about to fall.

“Well you were crying- and I just love you a lot and I’m really happy you said yes after calling me an asshole,” Chan answered, sniffling.

Minho sputtered out a wet laugh. How typical of Chan to have that as his reasoning.

 

With their tears drying up and emotions resettling, Chan led Minho over to the table and pulled out his chair for him.

Then, Chan reached down to the seat of his own chair and pulled out a ukelele that had been hidden by the tablecloth.

“Um, I actually wrote a song..for you…” he said, looking nervous, “it’s a little cheesy, but, um, I hope you like it.”

Minho sat in complete we as Chan began to strum out chords, begin to sing in that sweet voice that Minho adored.

The song was indeed cheesy, but it was also very touching and sweet- the lyrics talked about how and when they met, how Minho was the best thing to come into Chan’s life, how Chan loved and adored every little thing about him.

Minho couldn’t help but start to tear up again, but it was happy tears this time. He applauded when the song ended, and blew Chan a big kiss to show that he loved it.

Chan set the ukelele down on the table and sat in his seat, and the called out towards the door, “you can bring out the food now!”

The door from the staircase (that Minho guessed they must have come through) opened, and BamBam walked out, carrying a large tray with a cooked roast meal on it and a bottle of champagne.

So _that’s_ why Chan was meeting with BamBam that day, and had looked so bashful. He must have been telling BamBam his plan, and asking him to help out. And he didn’t tell Minho, because it was all a big surprise…

“Congratulations to the happy couple~” BamBam said with a wink, “I slaved for hours over this meal so you better enjoy it.”

Chan rolled his eyes, but was grinning, “thank you BamBam, it looks delicious.”

“Yes, thank you,” Minho added, although his gratitude was more sincere.

 

The food _was_ delicious, they both dug in with gusto and practically inhaled it.

It was relatively quiet as they ate, but when they were finishing up and moving from the dinner to the champagne, Minho spoke up.

“So, if you weren’t having an affair, why were you staying late and hiding phone calls and acting distant?” he asked, “do you have any idea how suspicious it looked?”

“Ah, yeah, you do deserve an explanation,” Chan responded, setting down his utensils on his empty plate, “the phone calls were part of the planning- to rent out the rooftop, and order the lights and the display. And I was so focused on writing the lyrics and making sure everything was perfect- I’m sorry if I was acting distant, I didn’t realize. And for the most part, I genuinely _was_ staying late at work. There were a few times that I wasn’t, because I was meeting with the building owner for the rooftop rental, or meeting up with BamBam so he could help me plan, or looking at ring options. But I took on a bunch of extra projects, I needed the money to pay for it all; the location, the ring, the lights, the champagne, and the fireworks.”

Minho blinked, “what fireworks?”

BOOM. BOOM BOOM.

A loud cacophony of bangs, booms, and sizzles rang through the city, as the evening sky was suddenly filled with bright flowers of explosive light. There were heart shapes, star shapes, streamers and screamers, and classic large circles.

“Those fireworks,” Chan said, grinning.

Minho wasn’t sure if he felt more foolish for having jumped to conclusions, or more lovestruck because _wow_ , Chan was truly the most thoughtful and romantic man.

“I had also written a second song, in case you said no,” Chan added, “probably unnecessary now that I think about  it, The lyrics were basically ‘I still love you but please reconsider’.”

Minho laughed, “you goofball. It definitely was unnecessary, but I am a little curious to hear it.”

“Maybe later,” Chan offered, shooting finger guns.

“I should apologize, for jumping to the wrong idea,” Minho admitted, “I shouldn’t have doubted you, or thought that you would be unfaithful, I’m- I’m really sorry Channie.”

“No, It’s okay love!” Chan exclaimed, “I suck at keeping things hidden so I’m sure it looked super shady! I didn’t want to keep secrets from you, but I really wanted to make a huge surprise after all the surprises you always gave me. I felt so guilty when I came home and saw what you set up for me that I had to turn down. I’m sorry too, for making you doubt my loyalty.”

“So, we’re both idiots who sucked at communicating, aren’t we?” Minho chuckled.

“We sure are…..but we’re idiots that are now engaged~” Chan sang, reaching across the table to squeeze Minho’s left hand, the ring glittering under the lights.

Minho lifted Chan’s hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

“I’m really happy my worst fears weren’t true...I love you so much Chan,” he said softly.

“You’re about to love me even more when you see the second surprise waiting for you at home,” Chan replied with a wink.

Minho’s eyebrows rose, “oh? What kind of surprise?”

“Your favorite movie queued up that we can cuddle and watch with a bottle of your favorite wine, followed by a round of sex for each night I was too tired or too busy.”

“You’re right, I _do_ love you even more, let’s get out of here.”

Chan only laughed as Minho downed the rest of his drink in one go, stood up out of his seat, and started tugging his boyfriend- no, his _fiancé_ \- away from the table so they could leave quickly.

 

As they walked back to the car, hand in hand, Minho glanced up at the sky.

It was dusk, there was a single star twinkling down at them.

Minho smiled. His wish came true.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a kudos and comment so I get that wonderful rush of validation <3  
> and follow me on twitter! My dms are open~  
> @goldenjung9497  
> and if you ever want to illustrate or translate my works, go for it uwu just give me credit (and send it to me so I can cry happy tears over it)


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